All Scores

From Olympics to fashion, Sydney McLaughlin’s rise is just beginning

(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Sydney McLaughlin isn’t planning to think much about running or the Olympics this month. After returning home from Tokyo last Monday, she did laundry, re-packed and left again for vacation with her family.

That time for relaxation is an important part of McLaughlin’s journey, which up until now has been a nonstop ascent. In just five years, the 22-year-old has turned professional, competed in two Olympic Games, won two gold medals and set a world record in the 400-meter hurdles.

Now, McLaughlin can add fashion designer and businesswoman to that list. The American track star on Monday revealed her first footwear and apparel collection in partnership with New Balance. The inspiration for the fashion line aligns with McLaughlin’s own sensational career.

“My dad, ever since I was young, he’s always told me to be the butterfly,” she told Just Women’s Sports last week. “It symbolizes growth and becoming who you’re meant to be, this beautiful creation. I look at butterflies as rare, as hard to catch, very unique, no two are the same, and that’s one of the main mottoes of the collection: ‘Be the first you.’

“So it’s really a beautiful representation of myself and my style and the things that I truly believe in and stand for.”

McLaughlin embodied the “butterfly” no better than in this past year.

In June, she became the first woman to break 52 seconds in the 400m hurdles when she won the event at the United States Olympic Trials in 51.90 seconds. She beat her own time earlier this month at the Tokyo Olympics, winning gold and setting a new world record with a time of 51.46 seconds. McLaughlin followed that up with another gold medal in the 4x400m relay alongside U.S. teammates Allyson Felix, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu.

McLaughlin was just 16 when she competed in her first Olympics in Rio, where she failed to qualify for the final in the 400m hurdles. She leaned on that experience heading into Tokyo.

“I felt a lot more confident going into this one mentally,” she said.

img
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Last summer, McLaughlin started training with Bobby Kersee, who’s coached athletes in the past 11 Olympics, and alongside Felix. The 35-year-old, who’s now the most decorated track and field Olympian in U.S. history, helped McLaughlin learn to trust the timing.

“People run really fast, really early in the season, so I was a little bit nervous about where our training was at,” McLaughlin said. “And [Felix] just reminded me that Bobby knows what he’s doing. She’s seen it for so many years now, that he’ll have us ready when the moment matters, which he did.”

When McLaughlin crossed the finish line of the 400m hurdle race in Tokyo, gold medal secured, she looked almost emotionless. She hugged Muhammad, who finished just behind her to win silver, before dropping to the track and looking up to the sky.

“I was just in my head thanking God for getting me across the line,” she said. “In the moment, I was just so grateful for the opportunity to bring this gold home for not only my family but also my coach.

“This is an event that he loves and he’s never had a gold medalist. So just being able to do that for him and check this off his list, I was really excited and happy for that.”

McLaughlin knows she hasn’t achieved so much so quickly without her support system. That includes New Balance, the shoe company she signed with in 2018 right after leaving the University of Kentucky and turning professional.

“It’s just like family, honestly. I’ve worn their stuff ever since I was in high school and they’ve been so supportive and friendly from the jump,” she said. “So when it came time to truly choose the company that would be behind me on and off the track, it was honestly a no-brainer.”

McLaughlin worked with New Balance to design each piece of the new collection. In addition to leaning heavily into the theme of butterflies, she focused on her personal style.

The collection features a stylish hooded shrug, a sleek crop bra, a crossbody bag and a jumpsuit among other items, all with the intention of giving customers the option to go from a run to a night out on the town.

“I never leave the house without a fanny pack or hat, so I definitely had to make sure those things were in there,” McLaughlin said. “From there, just athletic wear that’s also comfortable and some leisure pieces. Truly looking at my own wardrobe and what represents my style and then building from there.”

McLaughlin and her team at New Balance started planning this collection about two years ago. They pushed the release back to 2021 after COVID-19 forced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for last summer.

“From the first meeting to the final approval process, Syd has been so engaged in bringing this to life. Her drive on the track easily transitioned to the design of this collection,” said Rachel Walder, New Balance apparel designer. “We know this is just the beginning for Syd and we’re excited to play a part in her journey on and off the track.”

img
(Courtesy of New Balance)

“I truly loved designing and making something that I can call my own,” McLaughlin said. “It’s definitely something I was looking forward to doing, and if I get the opportunity again, I will take advantage of it, for sure.”

Fashion and business might be in McLaughlin’s long-term future, but she’s not thinking about that just yet. There’s still so much left for her to accomplish on the track.

McLaughlin’s profile rises with each medal and record-setting performance. Whenever she starts to feel the weight of the expectations that come with that level of success, she thinks about what’s gotten her to this point: the journey, the evolution, the metamorphosis of a butterfly.

“For me personally, pressure is this expectation of something possibly taking place, whether it’s me losing or not placing where I want to place,” McLaughlin said. “But most of the time, these thoughts that we have end up never even really happening.

“So it’s just removing the weight, having the confidence in the positive things that I want to take place and speaking those into existence.”

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.